On Friday, July 29, 2022, Katherine Magbanua, a resident of South Florida who participated in the assassination plot against Florida State University law professor Dan Markel, received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Magbanua, 38, was convicted guilty of helping to murder Dan Markel, 41, in 2014. Although she wasn’t directly involved, the prosecution claims that she was a key link between the gunmen and the principal plotter, her ex-boyfriend Charlie Adelson. She was charged with soliciting, conspiracy, and first-degree murder.
Kawass communicating to the Markel family a word from Magbanua.
She does consider Dan Markel on a daily basis. She gives his children daily thought.
While hearing Magbanua’s statement in court, Magbanua’s counsel, Tara Kawass, asked the jury for a lesser sentence; nonetheless, the judge still sentenced Magbanua to life in prison without the option of probation or parole, coupled with two consecutive 30-year terms.
In court, Kawass stated:
Every day, she considers Dan Markel and his children, according to the statement. She never fails to say how deeply sorry she is for the Markel family. I can say that one thing Ms. Magbanua wishes and prays for is that justice is being served in this matter and that it has not yet been done. She also wants to see that everyone who had a part in it or knows anything about it is held to account.
Because only the Adelsons were guilty of the crime, according to Kawass, her client was wrongly charged in the case. She also criticised the investigation carried out by the police, asserting that an audio tape between Charlie Adelson and Magbanua that was used as evidence in court was biassed.
“Over 8 years ago, Dan Markel was brutally murdered. Katharine Magbanua’s sentencing today is a significant step in the direction of justice and responsibility.
Markel was not just a well-known lawyer but also a Florida State University law professor. He had a son with Wendi Adelson, another professor at FSU, with whom he was married. But his later split from Wendi and the custody dispute over their kid ultimately led to his death.
Authorities testified in court that Charlie Adelson, Wendi’s brother, asked his then-girlfriend Magbanua to recruit a hitman so that he could kill Markel. She selected Sigfredo Garcia, the father of her children, for the position and set up a meeting between the two parties. For their offences, both guys have already been charged.
Garcia shot Dan Markel twice in the face on July 18, 2014, in his driveway. Next day, he passed away.
The police provided information on Markel’s execution in an affidavit. It reads:
The victim was shot in the head as he was sitting in his car, according to investigators, who believe the suspects in the Prius followed him throughout the morning and back to this house. A little, light-colored car that appeared to be a Prius was seen backing out of the victim’s driveway when Markel’s neighbour heard what he thought to be a gunshot and glanced out the window.
Charlie Adelson’s sister, Wendi Adelson, who was Markel’s ex-wife, also provided testimony in court in exchange for immunity from prosecution.